From NASA: “LDSD is proceeding toward launch. The large scientific balloon – 34.4 million cubic feet in volume, has been undoing inflation over the last hour. When launched, the balloon and the test vehicle stand at a towering 980 feet tall.” The second test of LDSD took place Monday, June 8. Photo Credit: NASA

An image from one of the first interplanetary explorers, the Viking 2 lander. Dr. Wolf Vishniac was one of Viking’s team members, and he pioneered the search for life in alien worlds. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

He may not be a household name, but remember the name of Dr. Wolf V. Vishniac. A microbiologist by […]

The long-term goal in NASA’s human spaceflight program is human trips to Mars during the mid-2030s. Will the 2021 manned Mars-Venus flyby mission proposal discussed at a recent Congressional hearing help to accelerate the agency’s plans by gaining the political support of Congress? Image Credit: NASA

A hearing scheduled by the House Science Committee will attempt to explore the possibility of the first manned SLS/Orion flight in 2021 conducting a Mars-Venus flyby. Could this lead to Dennis Tito’s and Inspiration Mars’ plans becoming a reality? Image Credit: NASA

A hearing by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space, […]

Aerial view of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) site in Devon Island, Canada. The first phase of the Mars Society’s mission at this site was complete in late July. Photo Credit: The Mars Society on Facebook.

Sixteen-year-old Astronaut Abby already has serious space credentials, having viewed a Soyuz launch and has attended a number of space-related events. Abby has taken to preparing herself for the day when she herself will take to the skies, and her sights are set on Mars. Photo Credit: NASA / Astronaut Abby’s Facebook page.

The India Space Research Organisation, ISRO, is preparing for the launch of its Mars Orbiter Mission by November 2013, which will see the Mangalyaan Mars probe lift off from ISRO’s launch site at Sriharikota, on the east coast of the India mainland. ISRO’s primary goal for […]

A blueprint for the new Mars exploration rover, which is planned to launch in 2020.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s December 2012 announcement that a new Mars rover would be launched in 2020 has left a lot of room for speculation about what the mission’s objectives will be. The rover will have the same chassis design […]